Tuesday, 11 March 2014

I was so excited yesterday about the release of Max Cooper's long-awaited debut album Human, that I almost didn't notice this gem drop on Soul:R records. Skeptical a.k.a. Ashley Tindall has established a quiet eminence after four years of supplying underground stompers through prominent labels such as Dispatch Recordings, Exit Records and Samurai Music. The four-track EP is dark, neat and heavy, with songs such as 'Desire' and 'Always Be Mine' already circling through mixes by dBridge, Friction and Goldie (to name a few.) The obvious highlight for me was 'Desire', a glorious drum'n'bass stepper that sets jazzy vocals by Collette Warren against relentlessly tight beats and a rumbling bassline.

Equally as hard-hitting is the second track on which Collette Warren features, 'Always Be Mine'. The tracks are not complex, but Skeptical assembles their essential components with the keen artistry of a man who knows what the finished piece should sound like.

If you like the EP, make sure you support the artist by picking up a copy here.